Metal railroad-tie.



W. H. WOOD. METAL RAILROAD TIE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11, 190B.

Patented Apr. 13,1909.

THE NORRIS PETERS cu, wAsHmcroN, D. c.

UNETED TATE WILLIAM H. WOOD, OF MEDIA, IENNSYLVANIA.

METAL RAILROAD-TIE.

Patented April 13, 1909.

Serial No. 115,343.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. V5001), a subject of the Kin of England, and resident of the city oi Media, county of Delaware, State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Metal Railroad-Ties, of which the followin is a specification.

My invention has reference to metal railroad ties, and consists of certain improvements which are fully set forth. in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide construction of pressed steel cross tie for railroads which shall embody simplicity of construction, strength, lightness, elasticity, and avoidance of all bolts and nuts or other fastening devices which are liable to work loose. Y

My object is, furthermore, to obtain all of these advantages at a cost of construction which is within the reach of the user and reasonable as compared with the cost of wooden cross ties, keeping the durability or life of the two types of cross ties in mind.

My invention consists of a pressed sheet metal cross tie approximately of boX shape cross section and having a socket at each end u on which the rail rests, combined with b ocks of yielding materials filling said socket portions and into which the fastening devices for the rails extend.

My invention further consists in providing the upper parts of the socket portions with apertures for spikes, and forming the blocks of yielding material of a woody or other fibrous substance and into which the spikes are driven in attaching the rails to the tie.

My invention also consists of a pressed steel tie having a general rectangular cross section and having the sheet bent down to form the sides and then under to form sockets at each end and preferably a flanged central portion open in the middle.

My invention also comprehends details of construction which, together with the features above secified, will be better understood b, re Hence to the drawin s in Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional side elevation of my improved pressed steel tie taken on line rv.t of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same midway of its ends.

A is the body of the tie and is preferably crowned on the top at the middle as indicated at The ends B are made flat on top and socket shaped and filled with blocks G of wood or other yielding material preferably of a fibrous nature. Excellent blocks for this purpose'may be formed of compressed shavings, sawdust, fibrous waste, &c. with a binder such as glue or resin, and such con1- posite blocks would be much less expensive than solid wood in districts where wood is scarce.

To position the blocks of wood C within the socket portions, the inner ends of the bottom plates i may be bent up and inward as at G so as to form abutments to limit the depth to which'the blocks may be driven into the sockets.

The sheet from which the tie is pressed is bent downward to form the parallel sides E E at a distance apart to form the proper width of the tie and the edges are then bent inward toward each other so as to form the bottom flanges F of the socket portions C and the middle flanges F F between the socket portions. i prefer the space between the middle flanges 1*" F to be left open as at H, though this is not essential. The inner ends of the bottom flanges F between the middle flanges i F are bent upward as at G G forming abutments for the blocks.

The rails I are arranged above the flat parts B B of the tie above the blocks C C of wood or yielding material and preferably rest upon a paper or fiber layer J of small thickness. These rails are then secured in position by spikes K of usual shape which are driven through apertures L in the tie and into the blocks C so as to hold the rail firmly to the tie and without the use of bolts and nuts or any mechanical fastening devices which are adapted to jar loose.

The holes L L in each end B are staggered or out of alinement so that the spikes K K do not enter the wooden or fibrous block in the same line and hence avoid the possibility of splitting the same.

It will be observed that in my construction of tie, I embody the advantages of the girder types coupled with those of pressed steel giving greater depth in the middle than t the ends; and with the strength of such. metal structure, I combine the advantages of the elastic or yielding blocks under the rails and to which they are fastened so as to obtain the cushioning qualities of the wooden cross tie and which are so greatly appreciated by the railroad engineer.

In the construction as above described, I have assumed the central portion of the tie to be filled or not as desired. To deaden sound I prefer to fill the central space with any cheap, preferably non-resonant material, such as ashes or sand with or without a binder of the character of cement, clay or asphaltum, such filling being indicated at R in Fig. 1. The filling has been emitted from Figs. 2 and 3, so as to show more clearly the inter nal construction of the tie. In place of ashes, I may employ slag, broken stone or other cheap material. This will also increase the weight oi the tie and make the road-bed more solid.

1 have shown my inproved pressed steel cross tie in the form which I deem most preferable for commercial use, and hence while I prefer the construction, I do not restrict myself to the details as these may be modified Without departing from the spirit of my in vention.

Having-now described my invention, what I-olaim-as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A railroad cross tie consisting of a metal body box sha ed in cross section and terminating in soc ret portions at the ends said portions provided with abutment parts at their inner ends extending upward from the bottom, combined with blocks of elastic material fitting saidsocket portions and held against inward displacement by direct contact with the abutment parts.

2. A railroad cross tie consisting of a box shaped pressed metal body crowned at the middle upper part and open at the middle of the bottom-and terminating in socket portions at the ends said portions provided with abutment parts at their inner ends ex tending upward from the bottom, combined with blocks of elastic material fitting said socket portions and held against inward displacement by contact with the abutment parts.

3. A pressed steel cross tie consisting of a boX shaped girder closed on all sides but the ends'and middle of the-bottom and having a socket portion at each end provided with holes for rail fastening devices through the top plate andthe inner ends of the bottom plates of the socketpertions bent inward to form abutments.

4. A-pressed steel cross tie consisting of a box shaped girder of greater depth at the middle than at theends and closed on all sides but the ends and middle of the bottom and having asocket portion at each end provided with holes for rail fastening devices throughthe top plate, combined with elastic blocks filling the socket portions beneath the holes for sustaining the rails and receiving the spikes or fastening devices.

5. A pressed steel cross tie consisting of a 'boX shaped girder having the opposite edges of the sheet oisteel irom which it is formed bent down to form a closed top and sides and under to form the bottom having an open middle portion and closed end portions to provide sockets and also having the opposite bottom portions of the sockets bent upward to form end abutments G, combined with elastic blocks filling the sockets and adapted to receive the fastening devices for the rails.

' 6.' A cross tie made of pressed steel and consisting of a box shaped girder closed on top having the opposite edges of the sheet from which it is made bent down to form the sides and under to form the bottom and with an open middle bottom portion and closed end portions to provide sockets and said sockets having bottom parts provided with extensions bent upward to form inturned abutment flanges, combined with elastic blocks filling the sockets and resting against the abutment flanges.

7. A railroad cross tie consisting of a metal body portion having a box shaped cross sec tionopen at the middle on the bottom only and a socket portion at each end, combined with blocks of elastic material filling said socket portions, and a filling of non-metallic materials within the central part of the tie between the socket portions and extending to'the top of the tie.

S. A railroad cross tie consisting of a box shaped pressed metal body-crowned at the middle upper part and open at the middle ol' the bottom and terminating in socket portions at the ends said portions provided with abutment parts at their inner ends extendin upward from the bottom, combined with blocks of elastic material fitting said socket portions and held against inward displacement by contact with the abutment parts, and a filling ol' non-metallic materials within the central part of the tie between the socket portions and their abutment parts.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLLiivl H. WOOD.

i' itnesses R. M. H TER, R. M. KELLY. 

